Orthopedic drop foot boot

ABSTRACT

An orthopedic drop foot boot provided with a flexible sheet like fabric covered layer at the rear of the boot. The liner has a spring-like action to correct the drop foot tendency of the user with the foot being held by the spring-like action of the liner at a perpendicular position to the leg to facilitate walking. For increased spring-like action of the boot, separate liners may be employed which overlap at the rear portion of the boot. The liners extend from the sides of the boot through the rear portion and from the bottom of the boot to the calf portion. The boot fits snugly to provide the spring-like action, and a zipper extending from the top of the boot to the bottom facilitates the putting on and removal and holds the boot snugly around the ankle and lower leg of the wearer.

United States Patent [1 1 Merkle Oct. 16, 1973 ORTHOPEDIC DROP FOOT BOOT [76] Inventor: Daniel R. Merkle, 49 Fairmont,

Alton, 111. 62002 [22] Filed: Nov. 17, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 199,541

[52] US. Cl. 128/80 E, 36/2.5 N [51] Int. Cl. A61f'3/00 [58] Field of Search 128/80 E, 84, 166; 36/2.5 A, 2.5 F, 2.5 N

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,717,432 6/1929 Botti 36/2.5 F 757,816 4/1904 Krieger 36/2.5 N 1,064,479 6/1913 Healy 1,586,698 6/1926 Posner 2,696,208 12/1954 Falls 128/84 C 1,692,896 11/1928 Hilgert 3612.5 N 3,584,622 6/1971 Domenico... 128/166 1,522,256 1/1925 Meyers 36/25 N 1,040,279 10/1912 Collis 128/166 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 937,846 l/1956 Germany l28/80E 265,180 3/1947 Switzerland 128/166 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner-J. Yasko Azt0rneyRogers, Ezell, Eilers & Robbins An' orthopedic drop foot boot provided with a flexible sheet like fabric covered layer at the rear of the boot. The liner has a spring-like action to correct the drop ABSTRACT foot tendency of the user with the foot being held by boot to the calf portion. The boot fits snugly to provide the spring-like action, and a zipper extending from the top of the boot to the bottom facilitates the putting on and removal and holds the boot snugly around the ankle and lower leg of the wearer.

3 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures Z- l 24 i l l L 4 l I i I l 5. 5

iv 1' g. I I l l I I l ORTHOPEIDIC DROP FOOT BOOT SUMMARY or THE INVENTION By means of this invention there has been provided an orthopedic drop foot boot to correct the deficiencies of individuals afflicted with paralytic drop foot. The drop foot paralytic condition prevents the individual from raising the foot from an angle roughly at45 of the leg to the right angle condition which is necessary in walking. In the past, corrective boots have been provided using cumbersome and heavy braces, corset stays and the like which have been unsightly, uncomfortable, heavy and difficult to use.

By means of this invention there has been provided a comfortable orthopedic boot which greatly facilitates the walking ability of people afflicted with a paralytic drop foot condition. The boot is provided with a flexible fabric covered spring like liner which may be of various types of rubber-like material such as rubber, flexible resilient plastic materials, and the like. The rubberlike material is covered with fabric and is stitched in the back of the boot from the top portion to the bottom and extends from the sides along the rear. Thus the configuration of the liner is roughly hemicylindrical and in the walking operation the spring-like nature of the liner tends to draw the boot back such that the lower leg portion is perpendicular to thefoot portion; this action greatly enhances and facilitates the walking ability of the user.

The fabric-covered liner can be simply stitched into the boot and does not add any substantial weight thereto. For increased spring-like effect separate liners can be used extending from each side through the rear portion with an overlapping double thickness at the rear portion where the greatest flexing is encountered in the walking operation.

Further, to provide a snug fit and enhance the springlike action of the boot to force the foot into the perpendicular condition in the boot with respect to the leg and avoid the drop foot condition a snug fit of the ankle and lower leg portion of the boot is facilitated by the provision of a zipper extending from the top to the bottom. When such form of boot is used and is provided with the flexible fabric-covered spring-like liner of this invention, a high degree of spring action is provided.

The boot is simply constructed by stitching the fabric-covered liner into the boot and can be provided at a relatively modest expense. The boot is rugged and is used in the fashion of a conventional boot without any complicated braces or appendages or metal parts of any type.

. The above features are objects of this invention and further objects will appear in the detailed description which follows and will be otherwise apparent to those skilled in the art.

For the purpose of illustration of this invention there is shown in accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment thereof. It is to be understood that these drawings are for the purpose of example only, however, and that the invention is not.lirnited thereto.

INTI-IE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of the left side of a right-hand boot.

FIG. 2 is a view in rear'elevation of the .boot.

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation of the boot of FIG. 1 taken from the right side thereof.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a further enlarged view in section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6' is afragmentary plan view of the fabriccovered layer with a portion of the fabric removed showing the flexible liner underneath.

FIG. 7 is a view in section taken on the line 77 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the overlapped portions of two fabric-covered liners with portions of the fabric removed.

FIG. 9 is a view in section taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 8. v

FIG. 10 is a view showing a users foot in full lines in a position in which it is retained in the orthopedic boot with a dotted'line showing the position that the person having a drop foot would have his foot assume without the corrective feature of the-boot.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The orthopedic boot of this invention is generally identified by the reference numeral 20 in FIGS. 1 through 3. It is provided with a zipper 22 extending from the top to the bottom and an interior flexible spring-like fabric-covered sheet-like liner construction generally indicated by the reference numeral 24.

The spring-like liner construction 24 is constructed of two separate fabric-covered sheet-like liners 26 and 28 as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. A right-hand liner extends from the right side of the boot past the rear portion to the left side where it terminates at an end portion 30. The left-hand liner 28 extends from the left side through the rear portion in overlapping relation with the liner 26 to the end portion-32. Each of the liners 26 and 28 is cemented to the interior of the boot and to each other at the overlapping portion 24. To provide additional anchoring, stitching 34 is provided extending from the bottom of the boot up the sides and across the top portion of the boot.

The liner element is best shown in FIGS. 6.and 7. As there shown, a flexible, springy, rubber-like liner base in the form of a sheet designated by the reference numeral 36 constitutes the spring .element of the, liner. A fabric covering 38 is cemented to the liner element for protection and also comfort of the user when the liner is inserted in the boot. The overlapping relation of the two liners 26 and 28 is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 where the overlapping portions are connected by conventional cementing.

USE

The orthopedic boot of this invention is simply used by the wearer. The boot 20 is put on the foot in the conventional fashion of a zippered boot by opening the Zipper and inserting'the foot and then closing the zipper. The boot snugly encloses the ankle and the lower portion of the leg of the wearer. The relative position of the foot 40 and the lower leg in the boot is shown by dotted lines .in FIG. 1. The user afflicted with a drop foot condition has the foot biased by the corrective orthopedic drop'foot boot to the positionof the foot shown in full lines in FIG. 10. Without the corrective biasing action of the boot, the drop foot condition of the user would cause the foot 40 to drop or droop to the position shown in the dotted lines of FIG. 10. Thus, the biasing action of the boot tends to return the foot .3 to a substantially perpendicular condition with relation to the leg which greatly facilitates the walking ability of the user. A conventional boot such as shown in the drawings but without the spring-like liner would permit the foot to droop and would fail to correct the drop foot condition.

In use the wearer simply walks in a normal fashion and the biasing action of the boot returns the foot after the individual has taken a step to a position where the foot is roughly at a perpendicular angle with respect to the leg so that the foot does not droop or drag in the walking operation. By means of this corrective orthopedic drop foot boot, heavy and cumbersome braces and other corrective devices have been avoided. The

boot is. substantially a conventional boot provided with a zipper in appearance and is used in the same fashion as an ordinary boot in the putting on and the removal operation. It will be understood that when desired the liner can be made of varying degrees of thickness and stiffness to provide different degrees of biasing and spring like force as needed.

Various changes and modifications may be made within this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claims appended thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. An orthopedic drop foot boot, comprising a boot having a flexible springlike fabric covered sheet like liner having a generally U-shaped cross-section extending on the inside of the boot from the heel to the calf portion of the boot, said liner extending from the opposite insides of the boot at the rear portion of the ankle through the rear portion of the boot and said fabric covered liner being comprised of separate liners overlapping at the rear of the boot to provide an increased stiffness to the spring like qualities of the liner.

2. The orthopedic boot of claim 1 in which the sheetlike liner is comprised of a rubber-like material.

3. The orthopedic boot of claim 2 in which the lower leg and ankle portions of the boot snugly enclose the lower leg and ankle of the wearer and the boot is provided with a side zipper extending from the top to the bottom of the boot. 

1. An orthopedic drop foot boot, comprising a boot having a flexible springlike fabric covered sheet like liner having a generally U-shaped cross-section extending on the inside of the boot from the heel to the calf portion of the boot, said liner extending from the opposite insides of the boot at the rear portion of the ankle through the rear portion of the boot and said fabric covered liner being comprised of separate liners overlapping at the rear of the boot to provide an increased stiffness to the spring like qualities of the liner.
 2. The orthopedic boot of claim 1 in which the sheet-like liner is comprised of a rubber-like material.
 3. The orthopedic boot of claim 2 in which the lower leg and ankle portions of the boot snugly enclose the lower leg and ankle of the wearer and the boot is provided with a side zipper extending from the top to the bottom of the boot. 